Hiding in the Closet
by Melenna
Summary: It's Ron's 17th birthday, so Gryffindor house throws him a surprise party. They really should have planned out hiding spots... Rating for later chapters. THIS IS SLASH!
1. Surprise!

1Chapter 1

"Hurry up Harry!" Seamus yelled, taking the stairs to the Gryffindor Common Room two at a time. "We're gonna be late"

Harry ran after his friend, smiling inwardly. Hermione would kill them if they missed this. They had spent two weeks preparing a surprise party for Ron's 17th birthday, and Hermione was quite insistent that they be there on time for once. Harry grinned. Yeah, insistent with a stick. Seamus was afraid for his life.

They finally reached the Fat Lady's portrait, huffing and puffing. "Flibbert!" Seamus panted, and the portrait swung open, letting he an Harry in. Hermione had already informed everyone else about the party, and all Harry had to do was set the spells telling everyone when she and Ron were coming. If all was going well, they were still walking by the lake, giving everyone enough time to get to the Common Room.

Almost everyone was present. The Quidditch team had decorated, and were milling in a corner. Lavender and Parvarti had torn themselves away from the Divination room long enough to celebrate, and there were a bunch of lower year students sitting around the fire, chatting. The Weasley twins were visiting for the party, and had gotten the House Elves to deliver every sort of food and drink. The boys sat on the edge of the couch with identical grins, watching Neville chew a pastry. Harry walked over to them, sighing. Didn't Neville ever learn?

"Whatever spells you put on this food, you might want to undo them. Hermione has been short tempered this week, and she's found some interesting ways of combining curses." The twins instantly took on a look of innocence.

"Harry!" George said, "How could you? We would never..." But at that moment, Neville began to yell. Harry turned to look at him, and blinked. Neville and his clothing had turned a brilliant shade of blue and had large orange polka dots gliding over his body. His hair had turned white, and was now longer and twirled atop his head, beehive style. Harry groaned, trying not to laugh. Neville looked around for a moment, trying to spot the culprit. His eyes widened when he spotted the twins, and he stalked towards them.

"You don't ever get enough, do you?" he asked, glowering at the twins. But at that moment, a brilliant orange spot drifted across his face, causing the boys to break into gales of laughter.

"Don't worry, Nev!" Fred said, sputtering. "It will fade in a couple of days!" George began to giggle, which set both of them off agin. Even Neville smiled, and Harry shook his head, grinning. All was right in the world.

Suddenly, a bell went off somewhere, signaling to everyone that Ron and Hermione weren't far away Everyone scuttled to their chosen hiding places, and Harry said a spell that dimmed all the light, even that from the fire. He made his way blindly to the coat closet in the back of the room.

To his surprise, there was already someone in his hiding spot.

"Oof!" The someone grunted as Harry pushed his way into the closet anyways.

"Seamus?" Harry said.

"Harry?" Seamus said.

"Shh!" Someone outside the door said. Seamus giggled. His body was squished against Harry's, and Harry could feel the other boy's breath on his face. They waited a moment. There was supposed to be another bell, activated just as Hermione and Ron reached th Fat Lady. Where was it? Surly Hermione hadn't set up a warning _that_ far away. Harry shifted uncomfortably.

All of the sudden, Harry felt Seamus's hands under his shirt. He gasped, and pulled back, but the closet wasn't big enough for them to separate. Then, all in one moment, Harry felt hot breath on his lips, and Seamus was kissing him. Harry just stood there, rigid, and Seamus pulled his face away just as the second warning bell rang. Harry shook his head.

_What was that?_ But before he could get any further in his thought, the portrait squeaked open, and Seamus threw open the closet door.

"SURPRISE!" Everyone yelled. Everyone but Harry, who sank to his knees in the coat closet as Seamus jumped out. Harry was most _certainly_ surprised.

Hermione grinned, and Ron jumped. The lights had been reactivated when everyone yelled, and Ron was looking around in awe.

"Whoa, Hermione! Did you guys do this for me?" he asked, turning to his friend.

"Of course, Ron. It's your birthday!" Ron grinned, and kissed her on the cheek. He turned away from her, looking into the Common Room. It has been transformed. There were banners hanging everywhere, mostly displaying Quidditch and the words 'Happy 17th, Ronnikins!' and food and drinks piled high on every table. In one corner was a huge heap of gifts. It looked as though everyone in the room had bought at least two.

"Wow. What brought this on?" He asked, as everyone smiled at him.

"Harry and Hermione set it up, and the rest of us decided to join in. Hermione was abusive, though. We went though a lot for you, man!" Dean replied, shrinking away when Hermione feigned a slap at him. "See what I mean?" He asked, laughing.

A voice came from the other side of the door. "Are you going in or not, child?" The Fat Lady asked impatiently. Ron stepped inside, surprised, and everyone laughed. Even the portrait could be heard giggling like a schoolgirl as she closed. Ron caught sight of Neville.

"Hey, Fred and George are here! Where are you guys?" Ron asked. Hermione elbowed him. "Oh, thanks everyone!" She smiled, and left Ron to greet his brothers.

"Harry" she called. She didn't see him anywhere. Oooh, if he had missed Ron's birthday...! "Harry, where are you?" Then she heard a voice.

"In here, Herm." She walked over to the closet, and looked inside. Harry was sitting there, red as a beet, with a very strange look on his face.

"Harry What's wrongs?" Hermione cried, dropping to her knees beside the boy. Harry turned brighter red.

"Seamus...He..."

"What? Harry, what is it?"

"He just _kissed _me." Harry said slowly.

"Oh." Hermione fell back on her rump. "That's it then? Well, you'll just have to speak to him about it. Tell him you appreciate it, but you aren't gay." She said bluntly. But when Harry didn't say anything, she continued. "Harry," she said, and her voice suddenly sounded disapproving, "_don't _tell me you're homophobic."

"No, no, that's not it. It's just, when... when he kissed me, y'know? I uh, I think I_ liked_ it." Harry replied, sounding rather dazed. Hermione had caught him at a vulnerable moment. Why did he just tell her that? But he was straight. Right? He'd never really thought about...But Seamus? Oh jeez.

Then the door to the closet opened, and Ron appeared "Hey, thanks mate! This party is great! Come out of there and have something to eat, I made Fred and George tell me what's safe, so you won't turn into a pumpkin at midnight or anything." It was totally lost on Ron that Harry was sitting in the closet. Harry smiled, shaking himself, and stood up. This _was_ Ron's party. He could deal with his own issues later. Before bed. With Seamus in the same room. Harry groaned and slapped himself mentally. _You _will_ have a good time tonight, and you _won't_ let Ron know you're freaked out. _He told himself violently. He shook his head, and went one of the refreshment tables, pouring himself a glass of water.

Seamus smiled as Harry, flanked by his two best friends, shooed the first years out of the way and sat beside the fire. Everything was going according to plan, and perhaps, before the night was over, Harry Potter would be in Seamus's bed. Harry looked up, and Seamus caught his eye. The Irish boy grinned, and licked his lips. At this, Harry turned bright red, and looked down again immediately. Dean, who had been telling Seamus a joke, witnessed the whole exchange.

"You're going for Harry? Seamus, I'm pretty sure he's straight." Dean pointed out. Seamus grinned ferally.

"Dean, Dean. Since when has that ever stopped me?" he asked. Dean laughed.

"Poor Harry...He doesn't have a clue what he's in for."

A/n: R& R, please. My first Fanfic! Yus!


	2. One Empty Bed

Chapter 2

A/N: I forgot to mention, this takes place during the trio's 6th year. And thanks to my first-ever reviewer, Lollylover! I try to be creative...

The party had finally quieted down. The only ones that hadn't made their way to bed yet were the 6th years, Fred, and George. Everyone was sitting around the fire, laughing and talking. The excitement over Neville's...color change...had long since dissipated, although Ron still had to fight giggles when he spoke to the boy.

George was stretched out lazily on the floor, Hermione sitting cross-legged beside him. They seemed to be having a serious conversation, although with George, it was almost unfathomable. Fred, Dean, Lavender, and Parvarti were on the couch telling jokes, Parvarti using this as an excuse to lay all over Dean. Dean, with Parvarti practically sitting on his lap, looked quite content.

Harry, Ron, Neville and Seamus had dug out their chocolate frog cards, and were now swapping them back and forth.

"I'll give you two Dumbledore's for an Aggripa." Ron said directing this towards Harry. His best friend hadn't been very talkative tonight. Something was bothering him. Ron prodded him.

"Harry, are you in there? You've been weird all night." Ron said, and Harry jerked out of his stupor. Neville looked on, concerned.

"Yeah, you alright Harry?" Neville asked.

"Sorry. I guess I'm not feeling well." Harry replied, handing Ron the Agrippa card. Seamus grinned, and tossed his cards aside.

"This is boring. Lets do something else." He said, standing up and stretching.

"Like what?" Ron asked. "Clean up? Hermione can handle that. She knows all the spells."

"No, Ron. Who wants to play truth or dare?" Seamus replied, directing this last bit towards the couch. Harry was horrified. Truth or dare? With _Seamus_? Oh no...

"Not a chance, Seamus. Last time we played truth or dare, Dean ended up with his hand down my pants." Lavender replied. Dean laughed and sighed, muttering something like 'Good times.' Parvarti shot Lavender an evil look.

"And you liked it. C'mon. Hermione? George?" Seamus said, wiggling his eyebrows. "You two are looking mighty comfortable over there. Wanna play?" He inquired. Hermione rolled her eyes, and George laughed.

"Sure, why not." Hermione replied. Harry looked at his friend desperately. Why?

All but Neville and Harry finally agreed. Neville went up to bed, but when Harry tried to follow, he was called back.

"Harry, stay and play. You can't be tired yet, you slept in until noon!" Ron said, slightly hurt that his friend was leaving. Harry was trapped. He wanted to stay, it was Ron's birthday. But with Seamus's reputation, Harry knew he was bound to get into trouble.

"Uh, I ... Ok, Ron, but only for a few minutes." There. Hopefully he could evade the Irish boy for a little while. He sat down next to Hermione, to late realizing Seamus was across from him. He pointedly avoided the other boys searching eyes.

"Who wants to start?" Fred asked, looking around. When no one volunteered, he took it upon himself. "Ok then, Hermione, Truth or Dare?"

"Truth." The girl answered primly. Fred grinned.

"Have you ever had sexual fantasies about anyone in this room?" Hermione wiggled uncomfortably. "Tell the truth!" Fred warned.

"Well...yes, if you must know! This is ridiculous. My turn." She said quickly, a blush coloring her cheeks. "I choose...Dean. Truth or Dare?"

"Mmm...Dare." he replied, stretching.

"I dare you to...drink this." she said, pulling a vial of some dark blue liquid out of her pocket.

Dean made a face. "What is it?" He asked cautiously. Hermione grinned.

"Oh, nothing that will hurt you." He took the vial from her, pulled the stopper, and drank. He made a face.

"Blech. Tastes awful. Now what is it?" he asked, putting his arm back around Parvarti. He looked confused for a moment, and his arm fell back down in his lap. He picked it up, and tried to put it over the girls shoulder again. He stopped, as if some invisible wall surrounded Parvarti. Parvarti grimaced.

"What's wrong, Dean?" she asked.

"Nothing...I just can't..." he moved to pull her against him, but again, his body would not cooperate. Hermione burst out laughing at the look on his face. Everyone looked at her curiously.

"It was a virgin potion!" she explained, gasping for breath. "Until he starts having pure thoughts about Parvarti, he can't touch her!" Parvarti gave Dean a look, and he shrugged. She made a huffing noise, and then stood up.

"I," she announced, "am going to bed." With that, she stalked off to the dormitory stairs, everyone's eyes on her. The moment the girls door shut, there was a collective outburst of laughter.

"Did you see her face?" Seamus cried, shaking with giggles. "That was precious!"

"Ahh, yeah." Lavender said, wiping tears from her eyes. "She'll never live this one down." Dean grinned. Hermione met his eye, and she apologized.

"Sorry, Dean. Had to do it." He grinned.

"S'ok. Maybe a night of virginal behavior will be good for me." he replied. Fred and George stood up.

"Sorry kiddies, but we must be going. There's a...erm...experiment waiting for us at home." Fred said. "Happy birthday, kid." His twin nodded, and threw a handful of powder into the fire. They stepped in together. "Weasley's Wizard Wheezes!" They said in unison. The fire swirled, and the disappeared.

"Um. Ok. My turn, right? Unless anyone else wants to leave?" Dean looked around. "No? Alright then. Harry." Harry turned and looked at the boy, eyes wide. "Truth or Dare?"

"Umm... truth?" Harry asked, uncertain.

"I happen to know you received a kiss earlier tonight." He paused, and Ron stared at Harry as he turned red. Was _that_ what had been bothering him? Hermione smiled. She knew exactly where this was going. Lavender and Seamus sat, looking uninterested, but Seamus was listening quite carefully. "Now tell the truth. Did you like it?" Dean asked, grinning. The entire room went silent, but for Harry's breathing.

"Yes!" Harry answered quietly, and was off like a shot towards the boys dormitories. Once there, he threw himself onto his bed, and pulled the curtains shut.

Seamus's heart stopped. His mouth went dry, and Hermione turned her head slowly to look at him. Her eyes were round, and he glanced to the stairs. She shook her head.

"I'll go see him. You guys finish the game." she said, shooting another look at Seamus. Everyone resumed the game, and their eyes locked again when Hermione reached the foot of the stairs. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but change her mind.

'_Don't you come up here!'_ She mouthed at him. He nodded, and turned to receive his Dare from Lavender.

"Harry? Harry, lets talk. It's not a big deal, no one knows who Dean meant." She peeked inside the curtains to his bed, and opened them when she found him sitting against the wall. She sat down on the edge of the bed, awaiting his answer. He shushed her, and nodded at Neville's sleeping form.

"Hermione, I know, you know, Dean knows, and most importantly, Seamus knows! And what am I supposed to say to Ron?" Harry asked, whispering.

"Good point. But let me ask you something. You're obviously upset about liking Seamus. Why? Is it because of Ron?" she asked, placing an arm comfortingly around her friend.

"No, no. I'm just... I don't know. Wouldn't yo be upset if I told Ron you like him?" Harry pointed out. Hermione smiled.

"Ok, I understand that. Just... if you like Seamus, let this work itself out, ok? There is no shame in carrying out a relationship with him. I'll be here for you, and I'm sure Ron will too."

"Alright. Thanks. But, Herm, if you could do me a favor? Don't tell Ron yet. I want to tell him myself." Harry said, looking slightly relieved.

"Ok, Harry. Do you want me to send Seamus up?" Hermione asked. She was going to whether he said yes or not, but she wanted to know if he wanted the other boy there. Harry's hands started to shake.

"Only if he wants to see me." Harry replied, nodding. "I'm nervous, Hermione." she laughed quietly.

"Well, don't be. It's only Seamus. You've known him for six years, and liked him for the past two." Harry gaped at her.

"How did you?...What? Uh..." he said intelligently.

"I'm your best friend, Harry. And in case you didn't notice, I'm not as dense as Ron." She left.

Well, she was right. He had like Seamus for awhile. When he first realized it, he threw himself wholeheartedly at Cho Chang. But then he had been to distracted to dwell on his feelings. Now Cho was pregnant, and graduating this year. And Harry was quietly accepting that Seamus was the one he dreamed about. However, the Irish boy had gone and thrown a boulder into a puddle when he kissed Harry, and Harry wasn't quite sure what to do now.

Seamus entered the dorm, and looked at Harry.

"Hi." he said.

"Hi." Harry replied, his voice squeaking.

"You liked it?"

"Yeah."

"Wanna do it again?"

"Ok." and Harry scooted over, allowing Seamus to sit on his bed. Seamus leaned in, and pressed his lips once more to the other boy's.

This time, Harry responded. Making a small noise in the back of his throat, he grabbed Seamus, one hand in the sandy colored hair, the other around the smaller boy's waist. Seamus responded, wrapping his arms around Harry, and parting his lips. Harry took the invitation for what it was, and began to explore Seamus's mouth when the other boy's tongue touched his own. Harry grunted, and their tongue's battled. When they broke apart a few moments later, Seamus gasped.

"Wow." Harry smiled.

"Yeah." He looked over at Neville, still sound asleep, and pulled the curtains shut, and smiling at Seamus.

"Again?"

"Sure."

And when Ron and Dean came upstairs an hour later and found the two sleeping in each others arms, neither one was that surprised.

"You knew?" Dean asked Ron softly.

"No. But I'm not surprised. It'll be good for Harry." Ron replied, smiling.

"Yeah." Dean said. "Seamus too."

That night there was once cold and empty four poster bed. But all five boys slept, content, two of them very, very happy.


	3. Frankly, my dear

A/n: Yeahright2: Harry/draco rock too, but i just can't write good draco! Purple monkeys are the best thing ever.

Danielle: Thank you.

Chapter 3

Seamus woke up to the sun in his eyes. They had forgotten to close the curtains after putting on their pajamas last night. Wait. Who was they? He wasn't in his bed. He opened his eyes and smiled, remembering.

"Harry." Seamus stroked the other boys hair. "Harry, wake up. It's Saturday, and it looks great outside." Seamus ran his fingers through Harry's hair, and Harry sighed.

"It's no use, you know. My hair has never lain flat. It isn't going to start now." Harry said, sitting up and blinking in the light. Seamus grinned and sat up, kissing his boyfriend lightly. He stood up, and looked around.

"Where is everyone? The beds are all empty." Seamus wondered aloud. Harry stretched, groaning.

"Probably in the common room. We've missed breakfast. Maybe they have something to eat down there."

"Hm. What do you think, shower or food first? Personally, I vote shower." Seamus said, grinning mischievously. Harry laughed.

"What like we haven't showered together before? It's a community bathing room, Seamus. You've seen every male Gryffindor in our year naked." Harry chided jokingly.

"Well," Seamus replied softly, looking down at Harry who was seated on the bed. "Now I'm allowed to do more than sneak glances at you. C'mon Harry." He said. Harry reached out, and took Seamus's hand.

"What if one of the guys walks in? What if _Ron _walks in?" Harry asked. Seamus stepped in front of him and looked into his eyes, and kissed him.

"The guys saw us this morning. The bed curtains were open. And Ron is smart enough not to come in if the shower is on and we're both missing."

"Ok." Harry whispered, following Seamus to the showers.

This was going to be interesting.

Downstairs in the common room, Ron and Hermione sat, talking. Hearing the shower start, Hermione grinned.

"Jeez. I can't dare go up there now, can I?" Ron said, rolling his eyes.

"Ronald, it's a community shower. You've seen them naked before." Hermione replied, opening a book.

"Yes, but now they're together. And you know Seamus. They aren't just washing up there." Ron said, stretching out. He and Hermione had spent the better part of the morning discussing Harry's relationship with Seamus, until Ron was comfortable talking about it.

"Ron, not all men think only about sex."

"Yes, but Seamus does."

Hermione had fallen asleep reading, and Ron picked up the book and started to read it. It had turned out to be quite interesting. Something called '_Gone with the Wind_,' though, where they had gotten that title he didn't know. There hadn't been anything about wind so far, although he had learned that American muggles had odd names. Ashley wasn't a boys name. And Scarlett? And Rhett? Odd. Scarlett was Irish, he guessed, but no one used Ashley as a boy's name. Charles reminded him of Neville, and Rhett of Malfoy. He would have to ask Hermione about the names later. He had skipped a few parts, so he was quite far into it when Seamus and Harry came up behind him.

"Ron? Are you...that is, is that... a _book_?" Harry asked, teasing his best friend.

"It isn't mine! It's Hermione's! I was just...uh...looking!" Ron said, blushing furiously and dropping the book. Hermione woke up, and smiled at Ron.

"Oh, were you reading that? You can borrow it if you want, I have another copy in the dormitory. Isn't it fabulous? You couldn't have gotten far, I wasn't asleep long." Hermione said happily.

_She must have been having a good dream_. Harry thought. _That's the only way I wake up so fast._ If possible, he turned redder at the suggestion that he take the book.

"No, no Hermione, I was only looking at it. It's ok. I don't read. It seems dumb anyways. I don't like books." Ron said hurriedly. The girl laughed. m

"Well frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn." She replied. Harry had read _Gone with the Wind_. It was one of the dusty books Dudley had gotten for a birthday, and Harry had picked it up one summer when he had nothing else to do. It was quite good, and he smiled at the reference.

Seamus, however, was feeling rather left out. Even though his father was a muggle, their life had mostly been lived in the magical world. Hermione decided to make conversation.

"Did you have a good night?" She asked him politely. Harry immediately turned red at the possible innuendo. Seamus grinned.

"Harry, you dolt, she isn't talking about _that._" He said, sitting down beside Hermione. "I think we both slept well." He replied, looking at his boyfriend with an amused grin.

"That's all, Herm. We slept." Harry said quickly, not wanting his friend to get the wrong idea.

"I know Harry. Oh, I almost forgot! We brought you up some breakfast, would you like it?"

Seamus nodded.

"Thank you, dear woman! I'm positively ravenous!" He said in a deep voice. Harry looked at him. "What? Can't a guy do an impression?" Harry shook his head, trying very hard to keep a straight face. Ron was confused. What had everyone in such a good mood? _No_, he decided. _I don't want to know._

Seamus smiled. His morning had been, well, _eventful._ he looked at Harry. It was only going to get better from here.

A/n: Thanks Liz, for the phrase! You know the one i mean! I love you fur-evur! And guys, the rating will begin to show soon! Just a warning, ;-)


	4. Of Froggies and Kitties

Closet Ch. 4

A/N: Sorry it's taken so long to get this out. First I had to do some research to figure out when Ron's birthday was, then I got a horrid case of writers block, and then I started working on another fic that wouldn't go away. Anyways, I decided this was going to be an angsty romance, so here's a nice fluffy chapter for you before all the bad stuff starts.

ForsakenChilde: I never get tired of reading reviews. Sorry about the upcoming fluffiness, but it will get better and more angsty in a chapter or two.

And many thanks to the others, K,W,G,T,B, HarryPotters-angel, Mistress Vamp, and Sarah. And love to my very dear friend and editor, Liz.

ON TO THE STORY:Author charges off with a lance, not unlike Sir Cadogan, horse-less and dorky:

It was entirely to nice of a day to spend it inside. Spring had sprung, and though it wasn't quite warm enough for t-shirts yet, nearly everyone was outside, shooing out winter and welcoming the sunshine with open arms.

Seamus, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were seated near the lake. the two boys had decided to keep their relationship fairly quiet. Quiet, in that they weren't going to hide it, but they wouldn't flaunt it either. Their friends knew, and all that mattered to them was spending time together.

Seamus was lying back on the grass, looking at the clouds. Harry's head was resting on his boyfriend's stomach. He lazily pointed up to the sky.

"Look, Seamus, that one looks like a frog." Harry said. He felt... relaxed with Seamus. Almost as if he could afford to be carefree. Almost as though he could be a normal boy, without the threat of Voldemort, and without the pressure to be a hero.

He felt, rather then heard, Seamus giggle, and forced his thoughts away from that particular track.

"That one looks like a sword." he said, pointing somewhere over his head. Harry craned his neck, trying to look.

"Where?"

"Just there. See?"

"No, where at, Sea?" Harry leaned up on one elbow over Seamus.

"Right there, Harry." Seamus replied, pointing. Harry leaned further over his boyfriend - and was pulled down for a long kiss, oblivious to Hermione and Ron, and the rest of the outside world.

"Huh," Harry said when the broke apart. "What was that for?" Seamus sat up, and shrugged.

"I dunno. Wanted to." He grinned.

Ron rolled his eyes. "C'mon, guys, I really don't need to see this." He said, making a face at the couple. Seamus stuck his tongue out at Ron, and Harry groaned.

"Then don't watch, mate." he replied, lying back on the grass. Hermione laughed, and stood up.

"Come with me Ron, I have a bit of a surprise for you." she said, holding out her hand to help the redhead up. He declined, and made no move to stand.

"What is it?" he asked, shielding his eyes from the sun as he looked up at her.

"Just come with me, Ron. Don't argue." She started walking away, hair bouncing.

"Alright, Hermione, hold on. I'm coming." Ron got up and shrugged at the two boys. Then he turned and followed her.

Seamus and Harry sat in silence for a moment. Then Seamus laughed.

"What was that all about? Did Hermione really have something?'' he asked laughingly. Harry smiled.

''I doubt it. She just wanted us to have some time alone. Ron isn't quite used to our relationship yet."

"Yeah, you're right. But he'll get used to it. I'm not giving you up for him." With that, Seamus leaned over and kissed him.

Draco lay back on his bed and reached over to pet the fluffy creature beside him. Last year, as a birthday gift, his mother had sent him a kitten. It had taken him awhile, but Draco had finally admitted that she was a cute little furball, and now little Bianca -named by his mother, of course - was his best friend, and quite literally the only thing that brought out the good in him. At least, brought it out where everyone could see it.

A shrill scream broke into his thoughts. Damn Pansy Parkinson.

"Draco! DRACO MALFOY! OPEN UP IMMEDIATELY, THIS IS IMPORTANT!''

Draco rolled his eyes, but took off the spells binding his door shut. Pansy stalked in, and leapt up on his bed next to him. Bianca hissed at the girl, and to Draco's slight amusement, Pansy hissed back. He scratched his cat between the ears and sat up, lifting the fuzzball into his lap.

"Please, inform me what was so important that you had to force your way into my room." he said, agitated. It was a command, not a request.

"It's about your love life, Drakey." Draco snorted.

"Don't you mean lack thereof?" he asked sarcastically. Pansy smirked, a very unbecoming look for her. But then, most, if not all looks, were.

"Potter? He's dating Finnegan. You know, the Irish half-blood? I just saw them kissing by the lake." she finished, crossing her arms over her breasts and smiling rather coldly at her house-mate.

Draco's mind was reeling. Potter was dating _Finnegan_? _Potter_ was dating _Finnegan_? Draco's brain had turned to mush, but years of training had managed to hide this fact.

"Remind me again why I should _care_, Pansy." he replied shortly. She stood up, and looked at him like he had gone nutters.

"Drake, everyone knows you have a thing for Potter. What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I would rather date a woman then date The-Boy-Who-Snogs-Finnegan, and that's saying something. Out of my room, Pansy, unless there's something more important...?" Draco inquired. Pansy shook her head, and backed out of his room, shaking her head, a soft smile on her face.

As soon as he heard the door shut, Draco felt his legs weaken. His hands began to shake, and he sat down heavily on his bed. Potter. Harry. His Harry. Harry. Was. Touching. Finnegan. Holy hell. Suddenly, the empty hole in Draco's chest increased its size threefold. He swallowed, choked, and a quiet sob ripped itself from his throat.

"I... Ohhhh! Seamus, yes! Ohhh god... Sea, we gotta get off the floor. You're -uhhhh, yeah, like that...- You're giving me rugburn!" Harry moaned. His boyfriends repeated thrusts were rubbing his back against the carpet on the floor of the dormitories.

"Fuck! God, please Harry! Oh...oh...uh...uh...uh...UHHN-OHHHHHOOOO..." was the others boys reply. A shudder passed through Harry's body, and he stiffened, adding to Seamus's groans of pleasure. A moment later, Seamus slumped down on top of the other boy.

Suddenly, they heard a thump from behind them, towards the dormitory entrance. Seamus lifted his head tiredly to investigate.

"Oh my," he said, amused, "Harry, Ron has passed out." Harry kissed Seamus, and giggled.

"Wanna give him some music to wake up to?" Harry asked, grinning. Seamus growled deep in his throat and jumped on his boyfriend, determined to ravage him senseless.

A/N: I know, I know, I'm submitting to the fluffiness. It happens to the best of us. But I swear, the next chapter will be longer. Drakey is beginning to get himself involved.

_Drakey_: Don't call me that, woman! I will not tolerate it!

_Author_: Yeah whatever. whats got your undies in a bunch?

_Drakey_: I don't wear undies! I wear boxers. And stop calling me Drakey!

_Author_: Boxers are just another type of undies, love. :pants and drools over the thought of Drak-erm-_Draco_ in tight black boxers:

_Draco_: Oh, lord, she's in heat. Seamus! She's doing that _look_ again:Runs away to find Seamus:

_Rimki_: Hi. The author is incapacitated for the moment, but she promises to love you forever if you leave a review. Nice or not nice, she isn't particular. By the way, I'll probably be showing up alot. I live in her head, and I protect the poor men she keeps there in chains. We love you, and goodbye!


	5. Unconventional Woman

Ch. 5: Unconventional Woman

A/N: Hi there. Look, I haven't fallen off the edge of the earth! Yay-ness! Thank to all of those who reviewed. I'm only gonna answer a few, but thanks to you all!

ON VIS ZE SHOW, MUHYA DAHLINGS!

-------

Draco jumped. "What?" He asked, confused. Snape smirked.  
"I asked you, Mister Malfoy, to step into my office for a moment. And, if you wouldn't mind, wipe the drool off your face." Draco stood up and wiped his mouth with his sleeve. He could feel the eyes of the rest of the Potions class on him, and he glared around at them. Someone in the back snickered, and Draco caught Seamus's eye.

_Give me a reason, Finnegan. Anything will do, I'm already dying to curse you into next year._

"Draco! My office, if you don't mind!" Draco narrowed his eyes at Seamus, and stepped through the narrow doors leading to Snape's personal abode. He cooled his temper, and sat in one of the two squashy chairs in the small room.  
"Sev, we have to stop meeting like this." Draco said, groaning as he stretched out, throwing his legs over the arm of the chair. Severus grinned.  
"Shut up boy. We have matters to discuss." Draco lazily raised an eyebrow at his Potions master.  
"I'm serious, Sev. Half the school already thinks I've been in your robes, and you have _that _particular batch of Gryffindors convinced now." Severus frowned, and looked over at the boy.  
"Well, _un_convince them. We have more important things to worry about. You dear father has sent me an owl with the date of the next meeting. He wants you to be there." Draco sat up, slightly shocked.  
"Father has never wanted me at a meeting before. What do you think is going on? Have you heard anything?" Severus tensed, and looked Draco straight in the eye.  
"Draco…At the last meeting, I heard the Dark Lord speaking to one of his followers. He said they were running out of Death Eaters. I don't mean to worry you, but they may want yourself and your friends to receive the Mark." Severus said, watching his student closely. Draco started, but quickly tried to cover his shock. He was unsuccessful. The elder man swallowed hard. "Drake... I'm so sorry. C'mere, son, you're shaking."  
"No... No, I'm fine. What can we do to prevent my attending this meeting without giving ourselves away?" the boy asked quietly.  
"We would be considered traitors if they found out... But He hasn't gotten information from my mind yet. Perhaps you could fake an injury? No excuse other than you being incapacitated would be acceptable for the Snake."  
Draco nodded, trying to clear his head. "You're sure you could hide the truth? Sev, I cannot get the Mark. You know that better than anyone."  
"Yes, Draco. You're like my own child, and I will protect you in any way possible." He glanced at an hourglass on a nearby shelf. "Go finish your potion. Class is almost over. And for gods sake, get your head out of the clouds! I don't know whats gotten into you lately, but it is interfereing with your work." Draco gave the man a strong smile, and turned to leave the office when Severus' voice stopped him. "Draco... You know you can talk to me about anything, right? No matter what?" Draco sighed.  
"Of course, Sev. Can I go now?" His teacher nodded, and Draco returned to his potion. Severus frowned. Something was up with that boy, and damned if didn't find out what.

-----  
Four hours Later...  
-----

"HARRY! QUIT IT! I'LL OWL RON'S MUM!" Seamus squealed, giggling. Ron doubled over, laughing harder, and Hermione was shaking with restrained giggles. Harry lifted his wand, and gasped out the counter spell. Seamus immediately got 'The Look.'  
"Harry James Potter, next time, you will regret it. Tickle me if you want, but use your own hands, not a spell! At least give me a chance to fight back!" Seamus said, his face flaming red from laughing. Ron raised an eyebrow. Walking in on the boys doing..._stuff_... had made him realize that the relationship wasn't going away. They had dragged him, unconcious, down to the common room. He woke up to Hermione muttering '_Ennervate!_' and turned scarlet when her remembered _why_ he had passed out. Harry had whispered an apology to him, as well as a warning not to tell Hermione. She would undoubtedly not approve. The odd thing was, his watch told him he had been passed out for almost a half hour. However, when he asked Seamus about this, he had received a wink, which told him that _he didn't want to know._

They were in the common room now, and they were the only ones. Everyone else had taken themselves outside or to the Great Hall, but being friends with Hermione Granger had its setbacks. She told them that they could 'go play like children' _after_ their homework had done. But Harry and Seamus had started play-dueling, and the concentration had been broken.  
Seamus threw his arms around Harry's neck, and whispered something in his ear. Harry blushed, and Hermione giggled. _She_ thought Harry and Seamus were 'decidedly cute together,' and Ron grinned at Harry's discomfort.

"Guys, we have to finish this essay." Hermione said. The four friends went back to their scrolls, and sat in a contemplative silence, pointing out information to eachother every few minutes. They looked up, almost as one, when the portrait swung open. A woman entered. She was short, with long, wavy blonde hair and a friendly smile. She had startling blue-green eyes, and strode into the common room as though she owned the place. Ron's eyes traveled over her appreciatively. She was wearing a white halter top that showed a good amount of cleavage, a blue jean jacket that hugged _all_ the right places, and skintight blue jeans that flared at the ends. She was barefoot. Ron was just about to let out a low whistle when-

"Mum!" Seamus cried joyfully, almost throwing Harry off the couch as he jumped out of the other boys arms. "What the bloody hell are you doing here?" He asked, pulling the woman into a tight hug.  
"Well, what do you think I'm doing here, boy? I came to meet you new boyfriend, of course. Harry Potter...Son, you don't make life easy, do you?" she said, untangling herself from Seamus and turning towards Harry. There was no trace of an Irish accent in her voice, a fact which, combined with the outfit, made Harry a bit nervous. He swallowed.  
"Uh... Seamus? Are you sure this is your Mum?" Seamus laughed.  
"Positive. But just to make you feel better... Mum, what is the history behind my middle name?" Seamus asked, grinning evilly at his mother.  
"Ryan was the first boy to cast a contraceptive spell on me." The woman answered without hesitation. Seamus nodded.  
"Yup. Thats my mum alright." Seamus said, holding in laughter at the twin looks on Ron and Hermione's faces. "Swallow a bad bit of Skelegrow, you two?"

-----

A/N: Welp, again, sorry about the wait. This has been a developing chapter so sorry if it seemed rushed, i just wanted to get it out there before one of you lovelies killed me. I'm wide open to all suggestions, as I barely have a ghost of an idea as to where to go with this. E-mail me, melenna at mugglenet dot com, and keep those wonderful reviws coming please!

Angelofdarkness: Umm…. Well thank you! But Seamus has always struck me as more dominating than Harry, and as a wise mind once told me, "Don't judge by appearances." Seamus is a quite aggressive, and very established, dom. Why don't you e-mail me, and we can talk more about this phenomenon. E-mail is Melenna at mugglenet dot com.

Mandie Black: You seriously named your cat after him? Heh heh. That's cute.

Sockbasket101: Thanks very much. Goddess thinks my writing is funny too. I'm glad I have reached the ultimate goal: putting someone out of their seat. Yay!

Fondlemysweaters: The men I have chained up? Oh, Tom Felton, Orlando Bloom, Dan Radcliffe, Sean Biggerstaff (is that spelled right?), Viggo Mortensen, Christopher Paolini, Johnny Depp, Emerson (who runs Jake and Tobias from the Animorphs books, and a few others. And who I break up and or put together is top secret! Heh heh.

Eva McGregor:….. Sorry hon, no idea what your talking about. E-mail me again if you want to 'fresh my memory.

Queerclarinetboy: Thanks I really appreciate reviews like yours, they make it all worthwhile!


	6. Angst Shall EnsueA small chapter hint

Disclaimer: Jo's. Well, not so much this chapter. Daniel Beddingfield and his people own this.

Notes: Sorry the last chapter sucked.

Here you go!

-----

If you're not the one then why does my soul feel glad today?  
If you're not the one then why does my hand fit yours this way?  
If you are not mine then why does your heart return my call  
If you are not mine would I have the strength to stand at all

I never know what the future brings  
But I know you are here with me now  
We'll make it through  
And I hope you are the one I share my life with

I don't want to run away but I can't take it, I don't understand  
If I'm not made for you then why does my heart tell me that I am?  
Is there any way that I can stay in your arms?

If I don't need you then why am I crying on my bed?  
If I don't need you then why does your name resound in my head?  
If you're not for me then why does this distance maim my life?  
If you're not for me then why do I dream of you as my wife?

I don't know why you're so far away  
But I know that this much is true  
We'll make it through  
And I hope you are the one I share my life with  
And I wish that you could be the one I die with  
And I pray in you're the one I build my home with  
I hope I love you all my life

I don't want to run away but I can't take it, I don't understand  
If I'm not made for you then why does my heart tell me that I am  
Is there any way that I can stay in your arms?

'Cause I miss you, body and soul so strong that it takes my breath away  
And I breathe you into my heart and pray for the strength to stand today  
'Cause I love you, whether it's wrong or right  
And though I can't be with you tonight  
And know my heart is by your side

I don't want to run away but I can't take it, I don't understand  
If I'm not made for you then why does my heart tell me that I am  
Is there any way that I...

----------

I wanted to post, and i figured i would post this song by Daniel Beddingfield as a hint to all of you. Anyone, feel free to toss me an e-mail with ideas. I'm fresh out. Next real chapter is mostly done. It's just, i have to load it to a disc, and take it to my mom's house, and then load it onto her computer, and post it from there. I don't have internet at home. I'm 16, i can't afford it, lol! m e l e n n a a t m u g g l e n e t d o t c o m. So there, fanfiction! I posted my e-mail! HA! Guys, I don't know if i should ever be talking to you. Rumour has it, we aren't supposed to talk to our readers on here...at all. Which is utterly ridiculous, I think. But yeah, the song is a hint to the future of our boys...and the angst that will ensue from them. Whats really gonna cook your noodle later (to borrow a Matrix phrase) is which boy will it be, and why? Yep. I'm being mildly evil. And i'm going to say one last thing. Go read 'Flight of the Thestrals' on fanfic. It is utterly amazing. It will take you some time to read it, but its well worth it. Hell, theres an incubus! Who would want anything else? Oh, also, do you guys want sex scenes? And how explicit? Let me know, otherwise i won't bother writing them. k?

Enjoy, luvvies, and keep reading!

Mel


	7. Hands ABOVE the table!

A/N: I know, I know, I told many of you I would update long ago. However, circumstances prevented it, and now… well, now you have a fairly long chapter. Work on the next one has already begun, so it should take as long. Maybe this week if you're nice to me!

Ron began to cough. Loudly. Hermione shook her head, and pounded him on the back.

"Good evening Mrs. Finnegan. I'm Hermione Granger, and this is Ron Weasley. We were just catching up on some studying."

"How nice. I didn't know Seamus studied. You must be a wonderful influence. You are the children that were in all the papers two years ago, right? They didn't do you justice

by any means, Hermione. I assume, of course, that you two will be coming as well, considering you are friends of Harry?" she asked, sitting on the arm of the couch next to her son, who had resumed his position on Harry's lap.

"Going? Where are you going, Harry?" Ron asked, raising an eyebrow. Hermione looked at him askance.

"I think we'd both like to know that." She said. Harry shrugged, and looked at Seamus, who looked at his mother, apprehension apparent in his eyes.

"Mum? You aren't going to kidnap Harry, are you? Because the last time you took off with one of my boyfriends, he came back straight..." Seamus asked quickly, obviously serious. The woman laughed.

"I remember that boy! Dean, wasn't it? And he didn't come back straight, he came back...less sure of himself. And no. I'm not kidnapping Harry. You mean our Headmaster hasn't told you yet? You're to come with me. We're going to Willoughbey. Hermione and Ron are more than welcome, and have already been given permission by Professor Dumbledore and their parents." Seamus had sat straight up at the mention of Willoughbey, his eyes wide. Harry shifted nervously under him.

"Sea, that's rather uncomf..." But Seamus ignored him.

"You mean I finally get to go? Will we be involved at all? How many others are staying? Anyone I know? Do we still have schoolwork? Can we share a suite?" He wiggled excitedly, and Harry blushed, pushing the boy off his lap and placing a pillow there instead. Hermione raised her eyebrows at him, but didn't say anything. Seamus continued, unfazed by his recent change of seating. "Are there house elves? Can I decorate my room? How long are we staying? Will you be there the whole time? Are those demons still running around? Uncle Lon said they were _extremely_ friendly. And I've always wanted to give one a try. Can we do magic there? Can we sleep in? Does Lon still have that muggle game thingie with him? It works there, right? Do the walls change like you told me? Is there..." his mother cut him off.

"We can talk about that _later,_ Sea. Can't we at least explain to your friends where we're going?" Seamus turned to the others, a huge grin on his face.

"Guys... You are never gonna believe this..."

Draco lay on his bed, facing the ceiling. Apparently it was a nice day outside. He didn't care. At that particular moment, Draco had much bigger things to worry about. He felt Bianca pad across his stomach and sighed. He didn't know how to avoid Voldemort's meeting. Severus had called him into his office several times trying to think of something that would fool the Snake Prince, but neither of them could come up with any solution save one... Draco would go to the meeting, and Sev, as his teacher, friend, and suspected lover would point out the illogical reasoning behind Draco getting the Mark. Perhaps one or both of them would get punished, but Voldemort almost always listened to Severus, and at least took his opinions into consideration. He was most trusted. What Severus didn't know was that Draco was scared to death. The meeting was the upcoming weekend.

"So you're telling me we're invited to completely magical mansion... Remind me why, again?"

"Okay, Hermione, lets go over this one last time... There's a big bad man after Harry. I can help protect him by taking him to Willoughbey. While we're there, we can not only strategize and stuff, but Harry will be safer there than he could be here, and until we have a plan, I would prefer Harry be as safe as possible. Besides, this place is amazing. We're going because we can, and it's going to be fun. Are you coming, or not?" Seamus asked, hands on his hips. They were all in various stages of packing for Willoughbey, and only Hermione was skeptical.

"Will we be able to talk to Professor Dumbledore about schoolwork before we leave?" She asked, biting her lower lip worriedly. Seamus's mother, Maureen, nodded.

"I've spoken to him about getting several of retired teachers together to continue your schoolwork there, but if you would feel better hearing it from him, that's no problem. We can stop by his office on our way out. Accio Blankie!" She said, pointing her wand at Seamus's sleeping area. A faded, rumpled looking purple baby blanket flew out from under the boy's mattress and into Maureen's hand, who immediately began to fold it.

"Mom!"

"What? I know you can't sleep without your Blankie!" she said innocently, her eyes sparkling. Seamus slapped his palm against his forehead, and continued packing as Ron snorted at him. Harry just shook his head.

Draco sat hunched over in his mentor's office. He knew he should still be scared, but he had reached the point of numbness. He felt nothing. The skinny blonde looked up at Severus with dead eyes.

''So there's really no way to avoid it, then?" He asked dully. The Potions Master shook his head.

"Not if we want to keep your father away from Hogwarts. His letter said that under no circumstances shall you miss the meeting. He's threatened to come here in person if I don't bring you along." Hearing this, Draco stood slowly, showing obvious exhaustion.

"Very well. We'll just have to convene him I'm not ready, and that it would be too difficult to hide the Mark at Hogwarts." he stated, simple resolve coloring his tone. "I'm off to bed now, Severus. As you ca..." Draco paused letting out a yawn as he stretched, the fabric of his shirt coming up to reveal a pale few inches of stomach. He looked like a small child, and Severus smiled slightly at how young the boy appeared. "As you can see,'' he resumed, "I'm a bit sleepy. 'Night." he started towards the doorway, but a concerned voice stopped him.

"Draco... son, wait. I know you. Something has been bothering you. Something besides all this. You're distracted during class and at meal times, you haven't been sleeping, and you haven't hexed a first year in weeks. What's going on, Draco?" Severus asked softly, worry clearly showing. Draco sighed.

"Sev, it's... I don't know. Have you ever been in love? I mean, with someone forbidden to you? Someone who could never love you back? Someone who wouldn't give you a second look walking down the street?" Draco broke off, a lump rising in his throat. Severus uncrossed his legs and stared at Draco from under his bangs.

"I have, my boy. And in my experience, you have three options. One, you could leave things as they are and continue pining for her. Two, you could force yourself to stop the attraction for her and forget her completely, or three, you could take action and do something about it." Draco hung his head.

"Sev?"

"Yes, Draco?"

"What if she's not a she? What if the person I love... is male?"

Severus's head jerked up, and he looked at the boy. Draco was blushing furiously.

"Ah... I see..." Was the man's reply. "Well, I won't ask who he is. But I see how the situation could pose a problem. However, it doesn't change your options.''

''I know, Sev. But you don't hate me? You don't think I'm... unclean or a pervert?" Snape grimaced.

"Fortunately son, your father's views of homosexuality being dirty aren't shared by many in the wizarding world. He was raised by an extremely prejudiced muggle nurse. For the most part, wizards look at love as its own magic, and disregard your sex completely. All I can tell you is to follow you heart." Severus said smiling. But Draco noticed the pain behind his eyes.

"You've been in love, haven't you, sir? What happened?" Draco asked curiously, feeling a little better just talking to the older man. Severus bowed his head and lowered his voice.

"The only reason I'm not with my love is that she and I would both be killed if anyone else knew." This time it was Severus not meeting Draco's eyes.

"Professor? Do you think it's worth it? I mean, there's the possibility that you'll die, but you keep loving her, even though you can only see her in secret. Is it worth the fear and the hiding?" Draco asked carefully.

"I wouldn't trade my moments with her for anything. Draco... the thing that's so subversive is... well, love is everything people make it out to be. That's why people are so cynical about it, and so doubtful of it. It's worth keeping secrets for, worth fighting for. It makes you brave and reckless at the same time, and it really is worth risking everything for. The worst part is, if you don't risk anything, dear boy, you risk even more." The Potions Master looked at Draco with flushed cheeks and pain set deep in his eyes. "I think its time for bed now Draco. Think about what I've said. And do try to get some sleep."

It was late evening before everyone had finished packing, and when they went to see Dumbledore, he invited Maureen to stay for dinner, and suggested that she stay in the Gryffindor Common Room for the night. She agreed immediately, and assured the kids that they would leave early the next morning. At supper, she was received with open arms by almost everyone.

"Mom! I mean it this time, hands _above_ the table!" Seamus scolded her after Dean had nearly fallen off his seat for the fourth time. Maureen got a pouty look on her face, and Hermione giggled.

"At least Dean is eighteen. But I see where Seamus got his sex drive, at least." Lavender whispered to Hermione, eyes wide as the boy and his mother bickered back and forth. ("You never let me have any fun!"-"Mum, let's think. Who was dating Dean when you went after him last time?")

Hermione nodded in agreement with Lavender, and gestured at Harry with a hot wing.

"He doesn't seem to mind, though," she said. "About Seamus's sex drive, I mean." the girls laughed. Harry and Ron were talking in low tones about some sort of Quidditch play. Lavender shook her head.

"You're right. But then, look at the sexy guy he gets out of it! I wouldn't mind either!"

Suddenly, everyone turned towards Maureen as she stood up.

"I'll meet you kids later, okay? I've got some things to take care of." And with that, she walked out, leaving a lightly sweating Dean quite thankful.

"Hello, Severus. Long time, no see. What have you been up to lately?" Maureen asked loudly, making the Potions teacher stop in his tracks. He turned slowly.

"My God, it can't be... Maureen? Maureen Shelby? Is it really you?" She grinned, and nodded.

"Well, it's Finnegan now, but yes, Severus, it's me." she said. He quickly closed the space between them with three large steps. He swept the small woman into his arms, and spun her around.

"How are you, Maureen? What's it been, fifteen, twenty years? What brings you back to Hogwarts, my dear?" Severus asked, grinning fit to split his face.

"My son, actually, Seamus. Do you know him?" she asked. Severus snorted.

"_Know_ the boy? He's in my class. Abysmal potion maker. Of course, if he wasn't constantly flirting with his classmates, he would do fine." Severus replied in his 'terrifying Potions Master' tone. Maureen giggled.

"That voice _still_ gives me chills! she said, blushing. "Even after twenty years... ah, seventeen was a good year for me." she said, sighing.

"Well, I was twenty-two, my dear, and the Potion Master's apprentice at that. That voice allowed me to seduce you right in class, and no one ever knew." Severus said, smiling. Maureen hugged him tightly.

"So tell me, Sev, what have you been doing with yourself besides terrorizing young children?" the woman asked softly, brushing her hand very purposefully over his inner arm, right over his Mark. His eyes went wide, and he pulled back, staring at her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered her explanation.

"I know about you, dear. You an Narcissa's son are our most valuable spies. Did you honestly think my organization wouldn't keep tabs on you?" she asked softly. "We need to talk. Is there somewhere secure we can go?" Severus nodded, and took the younger woman's arm, leading her to his office.

Draco pushed his food around on his plate and stared at it. That woman who had been causing such a disturbance at the Gryffindor table was gone. Not bad looking, for a mother. And everyone, from Hagrid to the ghosts seemed to know her. No one knew why she was at Hogwarts, though. Eh. None of his business anyways. Draco lost himself in his thoughts once more.

_No one knows what it's like. Not Severus, not Harry. Sev put himself under the Dark Lord's thumb. Harry is simply fighting to stay out of Voldemort's clutches. But I was born already pledged to the Snake. And now I want nothing more than to have a normal life. Is that too much to ask?_

He looked up, towards the Gryffindor table. His stomach flopped as Harry yawned, said something to Seamus, and got up to leave. In that split second, Draco made a decision. He stood quickly, oblivious to Pansy's questions and Crabbe and Goyle's stares. He followed the other boy out of the Great Hall.

"Hey, Harry! Wait..."

Harry turned, and sighed when he saw who was calling him.

"Can I help you, Malfoy?" Harry asked reluctantly, trying to remember which pocket he had stashed his wand in.

"Relax, Harry, I just want to talk. I mean... yeah." the blonde finished lamely. Harry raised an eyebrow.

"What could you possibly want to talk about with me?" Harry replied, turning to walk away.

"Harry, stop." he turned to look at Draco.

"Yes?"

"Just... listen to me for a moment. I understand why you don't trust me. I know I haven't been... Well, I've been a jerk. But I have to tell you. I'm... I'm _like Snape_." Draco said in a whisper, urging Harry to get it. Harry's eyes went wide.

"I... erm...Elaborate on that, please!" Harry hissed, grabbing Draco's arm and pulling him towards a nearby statue. Harry pulled out his wand and said something under his breath. The statue raised up, floating about four feet above the ground, revealing a small passageway. Harry grabbed the other boy by the hand.

"C'mon. This way we won't be heard."

"So, nice place you've got here, Sev. Quite... cozy. I can see why the kids love you..." Maureen said sarcastically, picking up a jar from one dusty shelf and examining it.

"I wouldn't touch if I were you, dear," he replied, gently taking the jar from her hands and replacing it on the shelf. "They might think you're hostile." Maureen raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment.

"So tell me about this organization of yours. Here I was, thinking that only Albus, Draco, and myself knew all the details behind our work, and then you come along. What exactly, pray tell, do you know about me and my protégé?" Severus asked, dropping into a worn looking black armchair. Maureen took a seat across from him and put her feet up before replying.

"We know everything, Sev. We know Narcissa's boy -Draco, is it? -is a spy, and we know about you. Your background, however, is privy only to our top layer of leaders. Albus and I are two of them. There are four others, all but one of whom knew you intimately at one point. Some of our members you have been acquainted with, but several you have not. I am the leader of the European division as well as the owner of our headquarters. We have called ourselves Orion's Children since the beginning. Orion was the name of the man I married, and his murder began my... obsession... with fighting dark forces. Our focus now is working out, move by move, ever trick that Voldemort could possibly play and how to combat it. We are also uncovering traitors in our midst and... eliminating them as quietly as possible. We are doing virtually the same things as your Order of the Phoenix, simply on a larger scale." she finished, and looked up at Severus. He stood, and pulled a small, tattered looking book off a nearby shelf. Flipping a few pages, he wordlessly handed the book to Maureen and resumed his seat. Maureen gasped as she looked down at the page. It was a photo album, and what she saw there almost brought tears to the woman's eyes.

"Do you remember," Severus asked softly, "When all we has to worry about was finding somewhere to steal a kiss?" Severus sighed, as Maureen flipped through the book. On every page were images of her and Severus, laughing, kissing, holding hands... before their lives had been torn apart by circumstance and forever changed by evil. "Maureen, I wouldn't trade those carefree days for anything. But we went our separate ways for a reason. You fell in love, got married, and had a child. I... I had an affair with the wife of a very dangerous man. Both of us lost the people we loved, I made some ill-thought choices. Luckily, I was set right. You've turned out a wonderful life so far," he paused, and handed Maureen his handkerchief. She was crying freely now. "My point is, I still care about you greatly. Together, we could be a great force against the Dark Lord. But I no longer love you. I'm not the naive, idealistic boy you knew, and I know you feel the same way. So you wanted to talk to me about our situations. Before you say anything, just know this: I am still willing to do anything for you. Even though we are no longer in love." Severus finished resolutely. He was sitting on the edge of his chair and staring into his first love's teary eyes. Maureen opened her mouth to reply, cleared her throat, pushed her hair back, and started again

"Sev, you were the first man I truly loved, and your words only prove that we agree on everything to this day. I believe we could still be the best of friends. I found my soul mate, and from the sounds of things, so did you. I just wanted to give you something before I leave again." Maureen reached into a pocket on her jacket and pulled out a ring. She tossed it over to Severus, who held it up to the light, squinting at it. It had a dragon shaped stone set into it, but nothing else.

"What's this?" he asked.

"That is what I wanted to talk to you about. It's a delayed portkey. You ca wear it for years, but it will never activate until you turn the dragon in, towards your palm, and say the password. You and anyone touching you that you wish to bring with you will be sent to the Europe headquarters of Orion's Children. All our members have some trinket like this, but yours has a slight variation on it. The password is your old nickname for me, and instead of being sent to a meeting room, you will go directly to your suite in the part of the headquarters mansion where I live." she explained, closing the photo album and wiping her eyes. "I've had a suite made up and reserved for you since I realized you were not only a spy, but the teacher of both my son and Harry Potter. I thought one day you might need it." Severus looked rather surprised, then curious. He slipped on the ring, and started as it disappeared.

"Security precaution."

"I see. Maureen, where exactly are these headquarters?" Severus asked. She turned away and closed her eyes.

"A place called Willoughbey."

_A/N_: Thanks SO MUCH for staying with me, you guys. And for prodding me in the right direction with your wonderful reviews! I know it took awhile, and I have no excuse except school, issues with friends in trouble, the school play, and repeated watchings of 'Rent' on the big screen. Speaking of, have any of you actually seen it on stage? Just curious. Alas, the poor teenage from an itty-bitty town has not the cash to see it onstage. But I bought the soundtrack. I'm in love with Angel and Mark. If you have no clue what I'm talking about, go read about the Broadway show 'Rent.' 1996, Jonathan Larson, drugs, sex, love, and amazing music. Do we really need anything else? (Nix the drugs, of course. That's how Mimi and Roger got where they are.)

_Rimki: _So sorry to break in, folks, but she could go on like this for pages. It is now past one a.m., and her mind becomes... a tad bipolar late at night.

_Draco:_ _A TAD? _Try freakin' nuts! Harry, remember what she made you do the last time she was like this!

_Harry:_ Mmm-hmm. I didn't think you were that flexible, Seamus.

_Seamus:_ :glares: Yeah. And I still can't figure out how Draco did that twisty-thing and got his-

_Rimki:_ Ahem. Boys, run along. Mel says she wants to play. Good reading, everyone! I just hope these boys aren't too tired to perform next chapter.

_Author: _Oh, don't worry. Draco's only there for a little while. We can tire him out.

_Harry & Seamus: _Yay!


	8. Red Wine

Ch. 7

Turn him off!

A/N: I love you all who read my stuff. Thank you. And sorry about the lack of dividers in the past. I think I've found a way that works, finally. Please review, I really want to know what you think! Anyways, enjoy the chapter.

When we last saw our cast:

Maureen is with Snape in his office, telling him about Orion's Children.

Harry and Draco are in and obscure hidden room, Harry is waiting for Draco to explain what he meant by 'I'm like Snape.'

Hermione, Seamus, and Ron are still at dinner.

On with our story.

"Finite Incantatem. Lumos." Harry said. The statue that had been guarding the small room he and Draco were now in had lowered itself slowly to the ground. The boys were surrounded by darkness, save the light from Harry's wand.

"Where did you learn that?" Draco asked curiously, pressing on the ceiling with one hand. Harry rolled his eyes.

"That doesn't matter. What do you mean, you're like Snape? Why didn't someone tell us before? And how do I know you're telling the truth? And what is so important that you're telling me this so lightly?" he finished, wearing a skeptical frown. He crossed his arms over his chest as Draco thought for a moment.

"I'm a spy, Harry, just as Severus is. I'm working against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named for Dumbledore. No one has told you, of course, because you didn't need to know."

"And now I do? Why? And how can I trust you?" Harry asked, staring unwaveringly into the silver eyes.

"I've chosen to tell you, haven't I? I'm tired of being treated like I have the Snakes brand on my arm. Besides, look at it logically. If I weren't loyal to our side, I would have told Voldemort about Snape already, wouldn't I?" Draco asked. Harry furrowed his brow, and after a moment, nodded.

"That makes sense. But it still doesn't explain what you have to say to me that's worth risking your cover." Harry replied. Draco sighed.

"First things first. I want to start over. You and me. We can pretend we never met."

"Are you... serious?

"Yeah." Draco replied. Harry chewed his lip for a moment, looking into the darkness at nothing. Then he looked up, meeting the other boys eyes. They stared silently at eachother, and in that instant, they saw one and other. Not as enemies, but as people, each in the clutches of a preset destiny. Each one a slave of what they were expected to do.

"Hi. I'm Harry."

"Hello Harry. I'm Draco."

Meanwhile, with Maureen...

"It's been in my family for more generations than anyone can remember, and is protected with very old magics. That is why the council, including Albus and myself, have decided that Harry and his friends will be much safer there." Maureen explained, forcing herself to meet Severus's eyes.

"How is it, Maureen, that he will be any safer there than here, under Albus's wing?"

"There's less of an uncertain element at Willoughbey. Everyone is totally safe. Can we truly say that about Hogwarts, with the spawn of Goyle and Zabini around every corner? Their teachers will be Veritaserum - tested members of the Order of the Pheonix or Orion's Children. The children will be safe, Severus."

"With you? I know, my dear." Severus said, grinning broadly. Maureen smiled back. Suddenly she stood on her tiptoes and threw her arms around his neck.

"I'd better be off, Sev. But it was wonderful seeing you again. Lets not wait another fifteen years before we meet again, yes darling?" she said softly, her voice breaking as she held tightly to her old friend.

"Maureen, I've missed you far to much to let so much time pass again." he replied, hugging her tightly to her chest, inhaling her scent of fresh cut straw and apples. The small woman took a step back, straightened her shirt, and turned to leave.

"Wait... a word of advice, love." Severus said. Maureen looked at him and cocked an eyebrow. "Be _careful _around Potter and his friends. Life with those three is never gentle." Maureen grinned and slipped out of the dark office, making her way to the Gryffindor tower.

Back to our boys...

"Okay, so, favorite color?" Draco asked, uncrossing his legs and stretching out on the floor of the hidden chamber.

"Yellow. Any pets?" Harrly replied, leaning on one elbow to face the other boy.

"Yeah, a calico kitten. Favorite ice cream flavour?"

"Cookie dough. Food?"

"Calamari. Singer?"

"Nine inch Nails. It's muggle music. Class? I know you don't like Potions as much as you pretend to." Draco laughed, a bright, beautifully deep sound.

"You're right about that. It's astronomy. I love looking out at the stars... It makes me feel so small... There's a whole, huge world out there, and there's so much of _this_ one we haven't experienced yet." Draco shrugged and rolled onto his back. "It's stupid , y'know, we see magic everyday, but sometimes I'm sure there's another kind of magic out there that we miss completely. Magic that can't be seen, only felt with the heart,'' he finished softly, rolling slightly to stare at Harry. But the other boy seemed to be lost in his own thoughts, eyes closed, smiling.

"I agree. I mean, how would it be possible for even Muggles to feel love? It's a magic completely in itself." he said breathlessly, eyes still closed.

"Don't I know it," Draco said under his breath. Then, a little louder, he replied, "And unrequited love... A torture worse than Crucio." Draco studied Harry's features in the near dark of their cave. Shaggy hair formed a halo of night on the floor, framing Harry's face. His skin was pale in the dim light, and the way his hands were crossed over his stomach made him resemble the corpse of the Angel of Darkness.

Suddenly, Harry let out a soft laugh.

"Who would have though I'd be having this conversation with you, of all people! Love is one thing rarely discuss, even with Seamus." Harry revealed. Draco smirked and stood up.

"I had better get going." the blonde said.

"_Chicken_." came a whisper from the corner.

"What?" Draco asked.

"_Just tell him. Chicken. Running away now_." came the voice.

"What did you say, Harry?" Harry looked at Draco.

"Nothing. You okay, mate?" he asked, his voice taking on a layer of concern.

"Yeah. But I could have sworn I heard... Nevermind. Just get us out of here." Draco replied shakily. Harry nodded.

Maureen in the Tower...

Maureen quietly entered her sons room. Most of the boys were asleep, but Harry wasn't back yet. Seamus had fallen asleep on Harrys bed, his body curled around his boyfriends pillow. Maureen smiled, her heart swolen with pride and love for the boy she had raised.

:He loves with his whole heart, like his mother.: a voice floated across Maureen's mind. The woman laughed.

:Hello, Albus. I hope that's true. But it isn't his love that worries me. It's Harry.: she sent back to the old man, using the unique power few had perfected save those in Orion's Children.

:Harry loves him, darling. But I assume your concern is for what will happen to your boy if -Lord and Lady forbid- if Harry dies.: Albus responded. Maureen tucked Seamus in and kissed his forehead. She then made her way back down to the Common Room.

:Albus, you know I just don't want to see my son hurt. Harry wouldn't do anything on purpose, but like you said, Seamus loves with his whole heart. The pain of love is not a stranger to me, my friend.:

:Dear girl. You know as wellas I do that nothing can be guaranteed. And now is not the time to dwell on such things. Sleep. You need your rest.: And before Albus had finished his thought, Maureen's eyes closed and she was sleeping.

Draco and Harry...

"Draco... wait. I have to ask you something." Harry said, turning back towards Draco and pocketing his wand. Draco cocked his head to one side and gave a questioning look. "Umm... Well, I know we're just getting to know eachother, so I probably shouldn't ask you this, but I have to know. You're gay. Do you ever... you know... think about me...sexually?" he asked, looking at the floor. Draco gulped, but gathered his courage and stepped towards Harry.

"Every day. Almost since I met you." he admitted to the other boy, lifting Harrys chin to look into his eyes. They stared at eachother for a moment, silently confering. Then, Harry grabbed the blonde and kissed him, hard. Draco kissed back, running his tongue over Harrys lips, who opened his mouth and touched his tongue to Dracos. The Slytherin sucked at Harrys lips and tongue, sucking the other boys tongue into his mouth as he grabbed Harry and pressed their bodies closer together. They broke apart for a moment, panting slightly. Draco ground his hips against the slightly skinnier boy. Hary moaned softly, and was moving in to press his lips to Draco again, when -

"DRACO MALFOY! WAKE UP THIS INSTANT!" cried Pansy. Draco sat up abruptly in his bed covered with a dark green satin sheet.

"Son of a bitch! Draco whispered, sweat rolling off his body. He stood, pulling on a robe to hide his erection. He glanced at the hourglass next to his bed.

"Bloody_ fuck_!" He threw open his door. "Pansy Parkinson, what in nine hells has inspired this four A.M. wakeup call!" Draco said, rubbing his eyes. It took him a moment to register the two dark shapes.

"Ahem. Mr. Malfoy, where are you manners?" came Severus Snape's voice from the darkness.

"Oh. Professor. Sorry, sir, didn't see you."

"Nevermind, Draco. It's time. Get your things." Draco paled, but quickly remembered that he had to keep up the facade in front of Pansy.

"Yes sir. Just a few moments, please."

"Hurry, Draco. We'll be in the Common Room." Snape said. Draco nodded, and shutting his door, allowed a few moments time for the tears settled in his heart to flow.

Seamus, Harry, and our Gryffindor cast...

"Wakey wakey, eggs an' bake-y!" Seamus cried, leaping onto Harry and kissing the tip of his nose. He jumped off of Harry's bed and onto Ron's, kissing the freckled boy wetly on the forehead. "You too, Ronnie!" Seamus giggled, bouncing up and down on Ron's bed. Ron shoved Seamus and sent him tumbling to the floor.

"Eurgh. Harry, turn him off." Ron groaned out, stretching. Harry rolled over and sighed.

"Can't, mate. Comes with the territory." Seamus stood up, not in the least bit perturbed. He crawled back over to Ron's bed and began to whisper in his ear. Ron turned a brilliant shade of red.

"Hermione would _never _do that!" he said in a slightly choked voice, jumping out of bed and running for the showers. Seamus sat down on Harrys bed. Harry chuckled at the mischevious look the other boy had on his face.

"What did you say to him?" Harry asked, smiling.

"Nothing."

"Where are Dean and Neville?"

"Still sleeping. I put silencing spells around their beds." Seamus replied, sliding under the covers next to his boyfriend. "I love you."

"I love you too, Sea. What's up?" Seamus grinned, and moved one of his hands down Harrys body.

"You tell me, love." Seamus said, and kissed his boyfriend before ducking under the blankets and putting his lips to use elsewhere.

Introducing, the Weasley twins!

"Oi, George! We're almost out of forked mushroom juice too!" Fred called up from the basement of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, where he was taking inventory of the ingredients they had left.

"D'you want to go out today for more?" George yelled back, looking at his watch. "We can close up early and be back before your _date._" George teased. Fred climbed out of the floor opening that led to the basement and stuck out his tongue.

"Shut up. Prick." Fred said, blushing like only a Weasly could.

"Wow, this one must be special. Angelina never made you blush like that. You sure you won't tell me her name?" Fred grinned.

"Not until you tell me who you've been sneaking out to see. She goes to Hogwarts, so she's probably underage... Georgie, Georgie... At least _my _date is legal." At that, George only shoved his brother and flipped the sign on the door to 'closed.'

"Well, lets go. We haven't got all day."

"Right you are, Fred." Fred punched his brother lightly, and they linked arms and apparated off.

Back to the Death Children...

Snape, Draco, and five others made themselves comfortable in the west sitting room of th Malfoy Manor. Draco snapped his fingers, and a small house elf appeared by his side.

"Master Draco! I's so..." Draco cut the little creature off.

"Save it, Theo. Red wine for myself and whatever the guests want."

"Please, sir, my name is not being Theo. I's being..." Draco cut him off again with a look.

"Like I care? Bring me the bottle, and see to the guests." Snape smirked.

"Now, now, Draco. Be polite to the servants. You never know when they may come in handy." Severus said sarcastically. That caused snickers from the whole group. Those young witches and wizards going to the Dark Lord's meeting consisted of Draco, Pansy Parkinson, Blaise Zabini, Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, and a fourth year girl whose name Draco couldn't recall.

Blaise sidled up to Draco.

"Hey, Draco. Help me out. Who's that girl?" he asked quietly.

"I'm not sure Blaise, why?" Blaise smirked.

"I remember nailing her, but not much else. Damn. I'll ask Snape." Blaise walked away, grinning.

A few minutes later, the House Elf returned.

"Praise the Lady!" Draco said, grabbing the wine bottle out of the elfs hand an cracking it open.

"Please, sir, I've brought Master a glass." squeaked the creature.

"That won't be necessary, Theo." Draco replied, and took a swig from the bottle. He was making it his goal to get pissed while Lucious kept them waiting in the sitting room.

Meanwhile, atthe mansion...

"Wow."

"What did you expect, Hermione? A hut?" Ron said, though his face held as much awe as Hermiones. The mansion called Willoughbey loomed in front of them. The portkey had deposited them at the front gates, and they traveled across the grounds in horse-drawn carriages. While the others watched the scenery go by, Harry had found a very sexy blonde on his lap, and the two boys had been making out for a good fifteen minutes before-

"Mmm- Sea, look!" Harry broke contact with the other boy and stared ahead of them at the mansion. Seamus twisted around and breathed in deeply, whistling in approval.

"Wow." The mansion looked at though it had been carved from a huge chunk of white marble laced with gold. The towers an peaks- at least twelve- were all guarded by marble fae and dragons. There was a lake shining to the left of the mansion, and the roof was highly accessable from several dozen windows. Maureen laughed at the identical looks of pleasure and awe on the four faces.

"Wait until you see the backyard!" she giggled, and jumped out of the carriage as it came to a stop.

"Bloody hell, Seamus... Your Mum's _loaded_!" Ron exclaimed, as he and Hermione clambered down.

"Why didn't you tell us, love?" Harry asked, stepping down from the carriage and unconciously offering his hand to Seamus to help him down. As Seamus took it and began to step down, Hermione pointed back at them, covering her mouth to stifle the giggles. Ron grinned and made kissing noises under his breath.

"Kids? Hurry up, theres so much to see!" Maureen urged them. Seamus grinned at Harry and sqeaked as he took the other boys hand and broke into a run.

A/N: I hope you guys like this chapter, plz, plz, plz review! I gotta know what I might be doing wrong so I can fix it!

Luv and Huggles!

Mel


	9. An Engagement A Relationship AConffesion

Ch. 8 Another Surprise

A/N: Where we last saw our cast: Harry and the others have just arrived at the magical Willoughbey. Draco is getting obscenely drunk while waiting for the death eaters meeting to begin. The twins have just apparated to who-knows-where in search of forked mushroom juice. They both have dates later. Guys, I'm really pissed about this chapter, it turned out really bad. Just know that I know it sucks.

M

Harry and the others ran toward the mansion, laughing.

"My god, Seamus! We have to explore this place! It's almost as big as Hogwarts!" Ron was awed, caught somewhere between staring and giggling.

"And this is where we'll be staying for the rest of the year…. Wow." Hermione gently, but uncomfortably brushed Ron's hand away as he tried to hold hers.

Huge white marble doors swung open to meet the group, and Maureen swept her arms out and up, spinning in the middle of the room.

"Welcome, children, to your temporary home and learning center!"

The entry way was huge, like you would expect to see in a palace. The ceiling rose up three stories, and balconies lined the second and third floors. Every surface was marble or silver, and the decorations managed to somehow give this monstrous area a homey feel. There was furniture scattering the area, couches that looked to be big enough for ten people. Statues were placed in every corner, and tapestries in bright colors and pastels covered the walls. There were flags from a hundred different nations hanging from the balconies, and a white staircase led up to second floor. From the second floor leading to the third were two more staircases, also white, and spiraling up on either side of the room. The ceiling was glass, and let sunlight pour in, with the occasional burst of color from a pattern of stained glass swirled in with the clear. To their left was a smaller room decorated entirely with old wooden desks, several oak doors leading out of it. To the right was a long, wide hall filled with plaques, trophies, and paintings of older wizards. There were also several different kinds of weaponry, from slingshots to swords to high tech wands used only by professional duelists. Harry, Hermione, and Ron stood in the doorway with their jaws hanging open, and Seamus was nearly doubled over in laughter at the looks mirrored on each face. The he once again grabbed his boyfriend by the hand.

"C'mon, love, I want to show you my suite! Ron and Hermione, you'll each have a set of rooms, not too far from ours. Your luggage should already be there. Lets go get unpacked, then I'll find someone that can give us the tour." He started towards the stairs, but Maureen stopped him and pulled him aside, becoming instantly serious.

"You know where you aren't allowed, I expect the old rules to be followed. I have to go take care of some things. Give these to your friends." She reached inside her pocket and emerged with a ring, a bracelet, and two necklaces. "To activate the spells, you just have to take the wearer to their room, and say the incantation and their chosen password." She turned, and smiled at the trio, becoming bubbly and bright once again. "You kids have fun now. I won't be around for awhile, but there will be people you know in and out to make sure you're comfortable. We have a small staff of house elves for cleaning, but our chef is human, and Seamus will explain to you how we go about meals and curfew. You'll have about a week and a half break from your studies while we gather tutors, and then you'll resume schoolwork. I'll be in to check on you in a few days." Without another word, she turned to the room on the left. Stepping up to one of the doors, she muttered something under her breath and drew a rune on the door with her wand. Giving the kids one last wave, she took a breath and stepped into, and through, the solid oak.

Seamus held out the jewelry to his friends, he and Harry getting the necklaces, Hermione, taking the bracelet, and Ron grabbing the ring.

"I'll explain these to you when we get to your rooms. One thing you should be aware of though, this house is as alive as Hogwarts is. The stairs don't change, but other things do. These trinkets will help you to find your way." The other three nodded, still not quite ready to speak, and followed as Seamus led them up that stairs and through a maze of hallways.

A (Two days later)

The group raced up the stairs, stumbling after each other, choking on their laughter. Though they had only been at Willoughbey for two days now, they had already memorized the secret passages and other such locations great to use for games. They were outside on the grounds almost all day most of the time, playing Quidditch or a muggle game called Frisbee Hermione had introduce them to. The days were completely carefree, and spending their time having fun outdoors with the sun beating down on them did wonders for the kids.

"What do you think of all this, Harry? Merlin knows you deserve a couple weeks off." Hermione had asked at one point after a rather heated game of Frisbee.

"I'm not going to think about the world right now, Hermione. I have to enjoy this while I can, I love it when I can be free and just _live._" Hermione just grinned and nodded. Later, at supper, Ron pulled her aside.

"I hear you and Harry earlier. I don't know what Seamus did to make him finally realize that he deserves and needs to have a life. It's amazing."

"Whatever it was, I'm going to give him a card or something. I've never seen Harry so happy!" Hermione agreed instantly. At that moment, their friend was stuffing his face with a dinner roll Seamus had just tossed in his direction. Hermione and Ron returned to the table just in time to catch a very interesting piece of information.

"Did you guys know that Mum has Lupin coming here to teach us? I guess Dumbledore decided that Harry needed to learn from someone he trusted, and Lupin is the best man for the job." Seamus said, bits of chicken flying from his mouth to land on his plate.

"Lord, Sea, don't talk while you're eating!" Harry lovingly chastised the other boy.

"Remus is coming back?" Hermione let out a squeal. "Harry, aren't you excited?" She looked at her friend oddly.

"Yeah Harry, you and him got on quite well, right mate?" the redhead prodded. Harry grinned.

"Remus owled me yesterday. I already knew." He flinched away as Hermione jokingly punched him.

"Prat! Why didn't you tell us!" She giggled, and helped herself to a slice of strawberry cheesecake.

"I wasted to surprise you. Apparently, so did Seamus." He made a face at his boyfriend, and Seamus responded by sticking out his tongue and crossing his eyes. Ron yawned.

"Anyone fancy a game of wizard's chess before bed?" Seamus nodded, finishing off his pumpkin pie.

"I'll play a quick one, Ron. Harry? Hermione?" before Harry could respond, Hermione cut him off.

"Actually, I wanted to talk to Harry. You guys don't mind, do you?" the other boys shook their heads, and Harry stood up and stretched. He leaned down and kissed Seamus.

"See you in a little while babe."

"I'll wait up for you."

L

Hermione whispered and incantation and her password to her bracelet, and grabbed Harry by the hand. There was a slight twisting sensation, and they were in Hermione's room. They sat of the small loveseat, and worry immediately filled Hermione's face. She clutched a pillow to her chest and bit down on her lower lip.

"What's wrong, 'Mione?" Harry asked, shocked. The girl didn't often get like this, and a few moments ago, there had been no indication that anything was wrong. Hermione looked up, meeting Harry's eyes surprised, almost as though she had already forgotten he was there. She sighed.

"I'm sure you've noticed Harry, he's your best friend. Ron. He likes me. He wants me to be his girlfriend." Harry shrugged.

"Of course I've noticed. But it didn't think I should get into it. I figured you two would work it out in your own time." Hermione shook her head violently.

"But Harry, I don't like him! I thought I did, once, but it was a long time ago. He's an amazing person, but I don't see him as anything more than a friend." Harry let his eyes drop to the floor.

"I thought something like this would happen eventually. It's okay, you can't help what you feel. Remember when I first told you I thought I might like Seamus? Remember what you told me? You said to just let it work itself out. I'm sure Ron will understand." Harry went to wrap his arms around his best friend, but she stopped him, and stared into his eyes.

"You don't get it. Ron could never understand. Harry, if I tell you something, will your promise to keep it completely secret? You can't tell anyone, especially not Seamus or Ron." Harry forced a grin.

"You know you can trust me 'Mione. I won't tell a soul." Hermione worried at her lip again, then took a deep breath.

"I'm engaged."

F

Fred apparated into the apartment the twins shared above the joke shop, yawned, and scratched his head. His date had gone well, so well in fact, that he has spent the last two days at said date's house, sleeping, eating, watching movies, and just having fun in general. George had been in a panic until Fred flooed and said he'd be home today to help him work the shop. He was greeted with a flurry of half hearted punches, and sleepily wondered why he had returned home.

"'Lo to you too, George. How was your date?" George dragged his brother to their couch and sat down.

"The evening was going perfectly until I came home late and you decided you weren't going to come home at all! I was worried, you, you…." George stopped at the grin on Fred's face.

"It went well then? Ah, so did mine. You sound like Mum, old chap. Lighten up, we should be celebrating. Let's go to the Three Broomsticks, have a firewhiskey!"

"It's ten o' clock on the morning, Fred. You're not drinking a firewhiskey at ten in the morning. Rosmerta probably wouldn't serve it to you. Now, down to business. Who were you with? Go on, let's have it." George asked impatiently.

"Only if you tell me who your date was first." George rolled his eye, and glanced around quickly. "Come off it, prat, no one's going to hear us in our own house!" George grinned.

"Can't be to sure, mate." He leaned in close to his brother and whispered in his ear for a moment.

"Bloody hell. You didn't?" George grinned again, his entire face lighting up. "Well Merlin's toenails. You actually did it! Georgie, I'm so proud of you! She honestly…" Fred let his brother from the embrace he had wrapped him in a moment later. "Did you hear that?" George nodded. It was the sound of their floo being activated. George pulled out his wand, and Fred cautiously called out.

"Who's there?"

"Fred? Oh, it's just me, love. You left your wand on the nightstand, and I knew you'd have to have it for… oh. Hello George." Lee Jordan, bleary eyed and in his underwear, had just walked into the room. George stared at the guilty looking man, and turned around slowly to meet his brother's eyes.

"Something you wanted to tell me, Fred?"

"Er….." Lee cleared his throat.

"Well, here's your wand, then. I'll be off." George grabbed his arm just as he had been turning to leave.

"Oh no you don't. You're going to sit right here, next to Fred, until I hear an explanation." Fred and Lee sat silently on the couch, George standing over them doing a damn good impression of Molly Weasley. "Well?"

"As if it isn't already painfully obvious, Lee and I are seeing each other, George."

"Oh, the shock. Be still my heart. I know that. The way you mooned over each other in school? Please. I meant, why has no one got the balls to step up and tell me, and why is Lee in his underwear." Fred giggled.

"Well, the first part I can't help you with. But I believe Lee is in this rather sad state of dress because he was thoughtful enough to put on his boxers before flooing over." George's jaw dropped.

"So you're telling me when you got out of his bed this morning, he wasn't wearing any clothes."

"Right." Fred nodded for emphasis. Lee chose this moment to put in his two cents.

"Well, Fred wasn't either! Took him a good long while to find all his clothes, and then he left his wand!" George sighed at this news.

"Boys, boys. Well, this is a good thing then. We've just run out of last weeks supply of knotted salamander sprouts, and we have to make a trip to the forest to pick some more. Kathleen can take care of the shop, and now we have another pair of hands. Come on, Lee, you can borrow my pants."

An hour later, the boys apparated away.

O

Draco had drunk himself into a stupor before the last meeting, and he was ordered to be sober at the next one. Severus had informed him that this was the meeting in which he was to receive the Mark. Draco, needless to say, was thrilled.

"Sev, there has to be something!"

"I will plead your case, Draco. That is all I can do. If we're lucky, he will see things our way and you'll be sleeping in your own bed this time tomorrow. Stop panicking, boy!" Severus roared the last sentence. He and Draco were once again in his chambers, Severus struggling to calm the boy as he struggled to stay calm himself. Draco stopped pacing, and sat down on the floor at his mentor's feet, resting his head on Severus's leg.

"Draco, do you trust me?" the blonde sighed.

"Yes. You know I do. But can you honestly blame me for being worried? And I thought you were going to tell me where Potter disappeared off to!" Draco jerked his head up and stared into the older man's eyes accusingly. "I know you know, Sev!" Severus just brushed it off and stared back coolly.

"Exactly _what_, Draco, is this sudden obsession with Harry Potter?" Draco's face flamed hotly, and he stared at Severus for a few more seconds before dropping his eyes and leaning back against the chair.

"Remember the discussion we had a little while ago? About me… liking…" Draco stopped.

"About you liking a male. It's Potter." Severus finished flatly. "Unfortunately, son, I can't tell you where the boy has gone, but here's what I can do. If you want to write to him, I'll see that he gets it."

"That's it? Just _write?_" Severus lightly kicked the boy. "Oh, alright. If that's all I can do. I'm going to go to bed now. You'll come get me when it's time to go?"

"Draco, just sleep here. I have a perfectly intact, never been used guest bedroom."

"Fine. But you're giving me quite the reputation, you know."

Y

Please review! I know it sucks, but please review anyways!


	10. Once Upon A Time

Where we left off...

The twins are on their way to collect ingredients from the forest with Lee Jordan. Hermione has just told Harry that she is engaged, and Draco has just told Snape that he likes Harry.

D

Harry stopped pacing and landed on the floor next to the chair he had been attempting to fall into.

"Harry, say something!" Hermione whispered violently, perched ridgedly on the edge of the loveseat. Harry stared up at her.

"What on god's green earth am I supposed to say?_ Engaged_? Hermione, I didn't even know you were seeing anyone!" Harry said accusingly.

''Well, if you had paid attention, you would know what's going on, wouldn't you?'' Hermione retorted. "We've been engaged for almost ten months, and we were seeing eachother long before that.''

Harry wracked his brain. Who could it have been?

"Hmmm... He's either a sixth or seventh year, obviously. It isn't Dean, he has a girlfriend. Would it be... Not Neville, right?" Hermione flinched. "Thought not. And Victor got married a few months ago... How close are you to the sixth- years?" Hermione groaned.

"Harry, no. He's not a sixth year. It's George." Hermione turned pink and bit her lip.

"George? George who?" Harry stopped, and stared wide-eyed at his best friend. "Hermione? Please, _please, _don't tell me that you're engaged to George Weasley." Hermione nodded, her face a strange mixture of shock, worry, and ecstatic happiness.

"I love him so much, Harry! But Ron is my best friend. I don't want to hurt him, but I know I have to. It's terrible, we've hated keeping this a secret." Harry wrapped his arms around the shorter girl.

"Everything will turn out alright. I'll help you tell Ron when the time is right, okay? Maybe in the meantime, you can explain to me how this relationship got started." Harry felt bad for Ron, but wanted to be happy for Hermione at the same time. That, and he was awfully curious as to why he hadn't noticed one of his best friends carrying on a long term relationship.

"Well, it's been very hard to hide. Fred only found out a few months ago. It all started, one day at the Burrow..."

R

"Oof! Gah, does it ever warm up here?" Fred grumbled. The three guys had apparatted directly on top of a snow bank, and Fred had wasted no time in falling face first into the deep snow.

"We don't even know where 'here' is. We stumbled on it by pure luck, remember?" George replied, grinning at the memory as he bent to help his brother stand. Fred laughed, brushing snow from his body.

"Yeah. Mum was mad that time, wasn't she?"

"Well, it taught you guy to keep your joke wands at the shop." Lee reminded them. George laughed.

"Yeah, well, it was fun while it lasted. C'mon, we're out here for a reason. Fred, climb up that tree and drop the mushrooms down." Fred shook his head.

"Uh-uh. Why can't you go up there?" he countered.

"Because, I'm holding the bag." George replied flippantly.

"Well, Lee can go up then." Fred said triumphantly, pointing up the tree.

"Nope. You're much more limber than I am. Wouldn't want me pulling a muscle, now would you?" Lee teased. Fred threw his head back and laughed.

"No, you're right about that one. You win." and without another word, he started up the tree. George let out a cough that sounded oddly like 'whipped,' and grinned when his brother flipped him off.

Fred began tossing down forked mushrooms that grew on the underside of high branches.

"Y'know, I wouldn't talk if I were you, George. You're the one who's about to be tied down with a... holy shite!" Fred quickly began scrambling down the tree, raining bits of bark and mushrooms down on his twin. Lee jumped away from the tree.

"What the bloody hell, Fred?" George exclaimed, brushing twigs from his hair and collecting fallen mushrooms from around his feet.

"Shut up, you idiot! There's Death Eaters over there!" Fred dropped to the ground, his face white as a sheet. "I think we're in a really bad way right now. Lee, go home. George and I will be back soon." Fred stood with his hands on his hips, staring at his boyfriend. Lee raised an eyebrow.

"Do you really think that your stare is going to work on me now anymore than it did before we got together?" Lee would have laughed if the situation wasn't so serious.

"Fred, I think you're sadly mistaken. Let's go." George poked his brother. "Which way?" Fred headed into the woods, closely followed by George and Lee. A few minutes later...

"Holy bloody fuck." George whispered.

Fred had led them to a large clearing full of masked, cloaked figures. Voldemort stood in the center of the gathering, a shallow hole dug in front of him filled with glowing stones. One Death Eater was standing over the area, pouring various vials over them. Another was on his knees, and looked as though he was pleading with his lord.

"My Lord, I understand your haste, but it is my belief that more harm than good will come of marking the boy while he is still in school. If you could just-"

"Enough! Bring the boy forward, and both of you remove your masks!"

"Yes, _my Lord_." the kneeling Death Eater whispered bitterly. He gently took another smaller figure by the arm and pulled him forward. He then removed his mask.

"Snape!" Lee hissed. "I knew that fucker was evil!"

"Shh, he's on our side." George replied quickly. Lee's eyes widened, and he opened his mouth to speak. Fred covered the other boy's mouth.

"We'll explain later." Lee looked confused and angry, but continued to watch the scene in front of them silently. The small figure began removing his mask, but all of the sudden, Voldemort lifted his hand.

"Stop. Nagini tells me we have intruders." Voldemort let out a wave of magic which sent Snape and the other figure flying. The smaller body hit a tree and sank to the ground, while Snape slammed into the body of another Death Eater. The dark wizards were dissapparating left and right, and Voldemort was screaming curses and hexes in a raspy voice. Fred dropped to the ground, and watched his twin fall beside him, hit with a stray curse. He couldn't see Lee anywhere, and the last thing he felt was a sharp pain in the back of his head. Then, the world faded into darkness.

A

Seamus sat bolt upright in bed, instantly awoken from a deep sleep.

"What the hell is that noise, Sea?" Harry mumbled, patting the nightstand in search of his glasses.

"Someone has sounded the alarm. We hafta find me mum." Seamus replied, no trace of sleep in his voice, fear coloring it instead. They scrambled into the hall and met Ron and Hermione on the stairs. Ron had his hands placed firmly over his ears, and Hermione was wide eyed, her hair poofed out in a huge brown mess. Seamus waved frantically at them to follow him.

"We have to get to the medic hall! Something has happened!"

The four teens raced down two flights of stairs and came to a halt in front of a portrait. It's occupant stared down at them for a moment, black hair falling into his face, and familiar black eyes looking down his hooked nose at them. Everything went eerily quite.

"Professor Snape?" Hermione asked, "Professor _Snape_ is the entrance to your hospital?" Seamus shook his head.

"Mum must have known him once." He spoke the password in Latin, and the portrait swung open. None of them noticed the portrait's eyes following their movements curiously, nor how much younger portrait-Snape appeared.

The four tumbled gracelessly through the main entrance to the medical area. Harry stood stock-still in shock, the others bumping into him from behind.

The room was filled with all sorts of magical creatures. A centaur lay on his side next to a bleeding unicorn, moaning and crying out to the gods of the sky. A hippogriff whined painedly in the corner as several men held it down as two more stitched up a long jagged wound running from wing to flank. But it was the sight of the humans that was the most shocking.

Severus Snape lay unconcious in the closest bed, wearing nothing but a pair of pale blue scrub pants. Draco Malfoy was on the next bed over, angry red welts roping his body. There was a light blanket pulled up to his waist, and was strapped to the metal frame of the bed, screaming. His eyes were tightly closed, and sweat and blood matted his hair. Three medi wizards were waving their wands over him while another poured potions into his open mouth. He choked, coughed several times, and moaned weakly. One mediwizard turned, accidently brushing the hem of his shirt against the boy's torso. Draco let out a viscious howl, and his body arched from the bed, convulsing. A foamy trickle of blood ran from his mouth, and one of the wizards yelled a spell. His body stilled, screams reduced to a whispy muttering. A few moments later, he stopped moving completely. Harry glanced at his friends. Seamus had grabbed his hand, and looked sick. Hermione was horrified, but Ron was staring at the other two occupied beds. He let out a holler, and ran across the room.

"Fred! George! Lee, what happened? Did Malfoy come after you?" Hermione let out a strangled cry, and grabbed George's limp hand. Lee sighed.

"We were in the woods, and stumbled onto a DE meeting. Fred got knocked out by a tree branch, and George was hit with about three _stupefies. _They'll be fine when they wake up." he replied, exhausted. Hermione was livid.

"What the hell are these medics waiting for? _Ennervate!_" she hissed pointing her wand at George. His eyes opened slowly, and he grimaced.

"My leg..." Hermione pulled back his blankets to reveal his left leg bent oddly.

"You idiot, you've broken it." she trod to the nearest cuboard and pulled out a small vial of gray liquid.

"Here, drink this to be sure it heals properly. _Reparo._ Let me see Fred." The other twin was concious, and feeling the back of his head gingerly. Hermione tsked at him, and poured something over his head.

"Ow! That burns!" he exclaimed, reaching back to touch his head, but Hermione grabbed his arm.

"You'll think twice before dragging your brother to a DE meeting, won't you!" She muttered a spell at his skull, watching as the flesh knitted itself back together. "Lee, did you do anything stupid that I'll have to heal?" the dark boy shook his head.

"Nah. Just some bruises. Maybe you should help them with Malfoy. Little prick got himself thrown into a tree. Some Irish lady healed Snape up right, but she said she couldn't stay. Something about going back to the clearing and collecting fallen DEs." Hermione shook her head.

"His wounds are a combination of magical burns and broken bones. It's too complicated for me to handle." She sat on George's bed. Harry watched as they both seemed to instantly relax, and he left them to their own devices. He wanted to see how Malfoy was doing. Seamus followed him as he wandered over to the blonde boys bed. Sweat was still rolling from his body, but he seemed calmed, and was sleeping.

"He looks terrible. And he's so skinny." Seamus said softly, brushing the blonde hair out of the boy's face. But Harry was only interested in one thing. He released Malfoy's arms from their leather bindings and turned them over. Seamus gasped.

"Harry! There's no Mark!" Harry sighed.

"I didn't think there would be, but l had to be sure. Seamus, Malfoy isn't exactly who we thought he was." He seated himself on his boyfriend's lap.

"What do you mean, Harry?" And Harry launched into the story of his new perspective on the sleeping blonde.

Y

A/N Well, here's another one down. There is one great reviewer who deserves all the credit for me getting this chapter out, honey, you know who you are, and I love you dearly for it. It's my senior year in high school, and things are mad busy. I'll try to keep updating as much as I can, and i might revamp some of the older chapters too, if I get the chance. So, let me know, Like it? Love it? Hate it? Just don't be all flamey, because that's no fun.

Huggles to you all!

Mel


End file.
